Quagmires: Pros and Cons

I was going to open up with a Family Guy joke…ha. Seriously, I bet you could get stuck to Quagmire. He seems like he’d be sticky…

Anyway.

I believe I mentioned in my last post that I’ve been stuck editing one story for the past few months. Because my life is so utterly unbalanced right now I pretty much edit it on Sunday afternoons; that’s the day I have the energy and staying power to sit in front of my story and immerse myself in it. I just can’t seem to edit, or even write, after work right now and the other days off I’ve been given were taken over by appointments and chores.

On the one hand, I like being able to focus on one story with its specific cast of characters and world. Being quagmired allows me to stay attuned with my setting and get to know these characters closely which allows me to work the story better according to them. With every read through I’m able to see more clearly what details stay true to plot, motivation, etc.

On the other hand, this story is taking up ALL of my time. I have done zero writing, aside from my blog posts and edits, since I started my full time job. That was the beginning of December. DECEMBER. Gah.

I think I’ve been on this one for much too long. Luckily, my attention to it is largely sporadic and I’m still enjoying working with it. All in all, I love devoting my time to one story versus spreading myself thin and trying to juggle too many threads. Still, yet again, I have to concede my lack of headway here. That part I don’t love.

What are other people’s thoughts on getting quagmire long- or short-term?